Apple And HTC Agree To 10 Year License Agreement

While Apple and Samsung ended up in court over patent disputes, it's being made clear that a courtroom battle isn't necessarily a requirement. HTC and Apple have also been at each other's throats for over two years now, but suddenly, it looks as if these two have decided to make up. It's in stark contrast to the messy courtroom battle that Samsung and Apple have gone through, and it could signal a change in how Apple's evaluating these types of decisions. You see, Apple let out a lot of internal information by way of the trial being public, and it also spent a great deal of energy and money in the process. By settling, it's easier to continue to do business with these companies, and it should be pointed out that Samsung is the enemy of both Apple and HTC. Perhaps that had something to do with the two ushering this mess under the rug.

Now, Apple and HTC have reached a global settlement that includes the dismissal of all current lawsuits and a ten-year license agreement. The license extends to current and future patents held by both parties, but the specific terms are being kept under wraps. “HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC. “We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. “We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation.”

It's also worth suggesting that this may have something to do with HTC's future as a phone maker. While the company has produced amazing Android handsets, it's clear that Samsung is ruling the roost. However, HTC has been producing some pretty amazing Windows Phone handsets of late. It's possible that HTC has admitted that Windows Phone is the OS it's resting its future on, not Android, and that may have opened a window for Apple to relent a little. Guess we'll see in time, but either way, HTC's in a much better legal place when it comes to Apple than folks like Google, Motorola and Samsung.